Container filling apparatus



ay 31, 1955 N, JR 2,709,539

CONTAINER FILLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR.

H. A. SWANSONLJR.

ATTORNEYS W 1955 H. A. SWANSON, JR

CONTAINER FILLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 20, 1954INVENTOR.

H. A. 5WAN$ON,JR.

AT TORN EYS ay 31, 1955 H. A. SWANSON, JR 2,709,539 CONTAINER FILLINGAPPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 20, 1954 r 21/ E II U I. I 1 25 IIII /[8 29 I II I INVENTOR.

LCLJVIIIVIETER H IL AT TOR NEYS FIG. 5.

H. A. SWANSON,JFI.

CONTAENER FILLING APPARATUS Herman A. Swanson, J12, Waco, Tex., assignorto Phillips Petroleum Company,

a corporation of Delaware Application August 20, 1954, Serial No.451,111 7 Claims. ((31. 222-108) drums, which has resulted in individualdrums varying in height as much as several inches. The diameters ofthese drums often vary as much as two inches, and the bung offsetdistances from the edge of the drum often vary from one to two inches.Because of these size variations, drum filling equipment must beflexible to accommodate the drums likely to be encountered.

in accordance with the present invention an improved drum filling systemis provided which can readily accommodate drums of various sizes. Thedrums can be filled while resting on a scale so that a predeterminedweight of oil can be placed in each drum. The filling apparatus of thisinvention comprises a spout which is adjustably mounted on a baseassembly. The spout is pivotally mounted on a support plate and islowered into the drum bung during the actual filling. provided to holdthe spout within the drum. A drip pan is pivotally attached to the baseassembly to swing below the spout automatically when the spout is raisedout or" the drum. in addition, a branched conduit system having afiowrneter therein is provided so that the filling apparatus can befiushed with minimum loss of product when converting from one type ofoil to another.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide adjustabledrum filling apparatus which is capable of accommodating drums ofvarious sizes.

Another object is to provide a metering system for use with containerfilling apparatus.

Other objects, advantages and features of this invention should becomeapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the drum filling apparatus of thisinvention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the gear assembly employed to raise andlower the drum filling apparatus;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a schematic view of metering equipment associated with thedrum filling apparatus.

*leferring now to the drawing in detail and to Figures 1 and 2 inparticular, there is shown a drum 1t) resting upon a scale ii. The drumfilling apparatus of this invention is shown positioned beside scale 11.This apparatus comprises a base assembly 13 which includes an uprightsocket 14. A support shaft is fitted into socket 14 and held in positionby set screws 16. A sleeve 17 is fitted about the upper portion ofsupport shaft 15 and a gear box 18 is attached to the upper end ofsleeve 17. The upper end of shaft 15 is provided with threads 29 whichare engaged by the gears within box 18. A crank 21, having a handle 22,extends from gear box 18 to enable A latch arrangement is 9 m9; 9 v we;yo Faterttetl m y 1%55 the assembly of gear box 18 and sleeve 17 to beraised and lowered on shaft 15.

Gear box 18 is illustrated in detail in Figure 3. The front of box 18 isprovided with a cover plate 2.5 through which extends a drive shaft 26.The outer end of drive shaft 26 is connected to crank 21. A bearing .28is provided in cover plate to receive drive shaft 2d, and a frameassembly 29 extends outwardly from cover plate 25 to support drive shaft26 within a bearing 30. The inner end of drive shaft 26 is attached to amiter gear 2". Miter gear 27 meshes with a second miter gear 32 which inturn meshes with the threaded end 20 of shaft 15. A ball bearingassembly 33 extends between miter gear 32 and the cover plate 34 of gearbox 13. In this manner, rotation of drive shaft 26 by crank 21 resultsin the gear box being raised or lowered on shaft 15.

A mounting plate 36 is welded to sleeve 17, and an L-shaped hinge plate37, see Figures 1 and 2, is pivotally attached to mounting plate 36 by abolt 33. Hinge plate 37 is provided with a slot 40 which receives a stoppin 41 that extends outwardly from mounting plate 36. A filling armcomprising a pipe 43 is attached to hinge plate 37 by a pair of U-bolts44. A filling valve 45* is attached to one end of filling arm 43, and aspout 46 depends from valve 45 as to enter drum 10 when filling arm 43is pivoted counterclockwise about bolt 33. The second end of filling arm43 is threaded at 47 to receive an oil supplying conduit 80 shown inFigure 5. Filling arm 43 is also provided with a side arm 4% whichreceives a second conduit 35, also shown in Figure 5.

Filling arm 43 is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 at approximately itscentral position. Normally, this pipe occupies a position wherein spout46 is elevated above the position shown. First ends of a pair of springs50 are inserted through respective hooks 51 on filling arm 43. Thesecond ends of these springs are inserted through hook eyes 52 that areattached to brackets 53 on mounting plate 36. Springs 55 thus tend torotate the filling pipe and hinge plate clockwise about bolt 33 suchthat the left-hand side of slot 40 engages stop pin 41. When it isdesired to lower spout 46 into barrel llll, the operator depresses theend of filling arm 43 until stop pin 41 engages the right-hand side ofslot The filling spout is retained in this down position by a latch 55that is pivotal ly secured to a mounting arm 56 which depends fromfilling arm 43. A lock pin 57 extends outwardly from mounting plate 36to engage latch 55 when spout 46 is l wered. A torsion spring 58 issecured to a collar 59 on arm 56 at one end and to a screw 60 on latch55 at its second end. This torsion spring holds latch 5'5 in engagementwith pin 57. A trip rod 62 is attached to the upper end of latch 55.When this rod is pulled, the force of torsion spring 58 is overcome andlatch 55 is released from pin 57. Spout 46 then moves upwardly out ofdrum 10 by the force of springs St).

A drip pan assembly is provided to prevent leakage of oil onto the topsof the drums when spout 46 is removed. This assembly comprises a pan 65which is secured to one end of a rotatable arm 66. A conduit 67communicates with the bottom of drip pan 65 to remove any oil caught bypan 65. The second end of arm 66 is pivotally mounted on a support plate68 which extends outwardly Trout mounting plate 36. Arm 66 is attachedto plate 63 by a bolt 69. As shown in greater detail in Figure 4, aplate 70 depends from filling arm 43 and a cam plate '71 is attached toplate 70 by screws 72. Arm 66 is fitted within cam plate '71. The sidesof cam plate 71 are at such an angle that arm 66 is moved laterally awayfrom spout 46 when the spout is lowered, but is moved under spout 46when the spout is raised. In this manner, the drip pan is positionedunder spout 46 automatically when the spout is elevated from drum 10.

Valve 45 preferably is a two-way solenoid actuated valve that isprovided with two open positions as well as a closed position. When thedrum is nearly filled, valve 45 is closed to a second open positionwhereby the volume of liquid transmitted therethrough is greatlydiminished. The upper portion of the drum is then filled at a slowerrate. The valve is then closed completely. Valves of this type areavailable commercially and are desirable because they enable the drum tobe filled at a high rate, but still provide an accurate shutoil when thedesired amount of liquid is supplied to the drum. Furthermore, valve 45can be actuated automatically by a suitable switch associated with scale11. Equipment of this type is also available commercially.

In Figure 5 there is shown a conduit system which can be attached to thevalve filling apparatus. This system comprises a conduit 30 which isattached to the end 4-7 of filling arm 43. Conduit 8%, having a valve 81therein, is connected at its second end to a strainer 82. The second endof strainer 82 is connected to a conduit 83 which supplies oil to thefilling apparatus. A conduit 85, having a valve 86 therein, is attachedat one end to side arm 43 of filling arm 43. The second end of conduit85 is connected through a flowmeter 87 to the first end of a conduit 88,which has a valve 89 therein. The second end of conduit 88 is connectedto conduit 8% between valve 81 and strainer 82. In normal operation,valves 86 and 8) are closed and valve 81 is open. The oil is supplied tothe drums through conduit 80, filling arm 43 and valve 45 until thedesired weight of oil has been added to the barrel. At this time valve4-5 is closed. When it is desired to fill drums with a difierent type ofoil, it is necessary to flush out the filling apparatus. This isaccomplished without an excessive waste of oil by closing valve 81 andopening valves 86 and 89. A predetermined volume of oil is then passedthrough the filling apparatus as indicated by a fiowmeter 87. When thedesired volume of oil has been passed through the equipment, valves 86and 8 are again closed and valve 81 is opened. The drum fillingoperations can then be continued.

In view of the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of. thisinvention, it can be seen that there is provided adjustable fillingapparatus for use in filling drums. The apparatus can readily be raisedand lowered to accommodate drums of varying heights. A latchingarrangement is provided to retain the spout within the drum during thefilling operation to prevent the spout from being forced out of the drumdue to the jet action of the oil leaving the spout. Furthermore, a drippan is provided to swing under the spout automatically whenever thespout is removed from the drum. This prevents leakage of oil onto thetop of the drum.

While this invention has been described in conjunction with a presentpreferred embodiment, it should be apparent that the invention is notlimited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid c01nprising, incombination, a support, a filling arm pivotally attached to saidsupport, a spout depending from the first end of said filling arm, thesecond end of said filling arm being adapted to be connected to a sourceof liquid, means biasing said filling arm whereby said spout normallyoccupies a first upper position relative to said support, said fillingarm being rotatable from said first position to a second positionwhereby said spout is lowered, locking means to retain said filling armin said second position against the force of said biasing means, a drippan pivotally attached to said support, and means responsive to movementof said filling arm to position said drip pan whereby said drip pan isbeneath said spout when said filling arm is in said first position andsaid drip pan is displaced from beneath said spout when said filling armis in said second position.

2. Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid comprising, incombination, a base, a support movably attached to said base so thatsaid support is movable in a generally vertical direction, a filling armpivotally attached to said support, a spout depending from the first endof said filling arm, the second end of said filling arm being adapted tobe connected to a source of liquid, means biasing said filling armwhereby said spout normally occupies a first upper position relative tosaid support, said filling arm being rotatable from said first positionto a second position whereby said spout is lowered, locking means toretain said filling arm in said second position against the force ofsaid biasing means, a drip pan pivot ally attached to said support, andmeans responsive to movement of said filling arm to position said drippan whereby said drip pan is beneath said spout when said filling arm isin said first position and said drip pan is displaced from beneath saidspout when said filling arm is in said second position.

3. The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said base includesan upright threaded rod; and said support includes a gear box, a firstgear in said box threaded to said rod, said first gear being providedwith external threads, a second gear in said box, said second gearhaving threads meshing with the threads of said first gear, and a handleattached to said second gear to rotate said second gear whereby saidfirst gear is rotated on said rod to move said second gear relative tosaid rod, said first gear being in engagement with said box whereby saidbox is also moved with said first gear.

4. Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid comprising, incombination, a support, a filling arm attached to said support, a valvehaving one port thereof connected to the first end of said filling arm,a spout depending from the second port of said valve, the second end ofsaid filling arm being adapted to be connected to a source of fluid,said filling arm being movable with respect to said support whereby saidspout can be lowered into a container to be filled, means normallybiasing said filling arm in a first position whereby said spout is in anelevated position, latching means to retain said filling arm stationaryagainst the force of said biasing means when said spout is lowered, adrip pan attached to said support, and means responsive to movement ofsaid filling arm to position said drip pan relative to said supportwhereby said drip pan is beneath said spout when said spout is in saidlowered position and said drip pan is displaced from beneath said spoutwhen said spout is in said elevated position.

5. Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid comprising, incombination, a support, a filling arm pivotally attached to said supportwhereby said filling arm is rotatable in a generally vertical plane,means secured to said support to limit rotation of said filling arm, aspout depending from the first end of said filling arm, the second endof said filling arm being adapted to be connected to a source of liquid,a spring nor- 5 mally biasing said filling arm in a first positionwhereby said spout is in an elevated position, a latch attached to saidfilling arm to engage said support when said filling arm is rotated sothat said spout is in a lowered position, said latch retaining saidfilling arm in said lastmentioned position against the force of saidspring, means for releasing said latch from said support, a support arm,

a drip pan mounted on one end of said support arm, the

second end of said support arm being pivotally attached to said supportwhereby said support arm is free to rotate in a generally horizontalplane, and a cam member de pending from said filling arm to engage saidsupport arm whereby said drip pan is moved beneath said spout when saidspout is in said elevated position and said drip pan is displaced frombeneath said spout when said spout is in said lowered position.

6. Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid comprising, incombination, a base including an upright threaded rod, a gear box, afirst gear in said box threaded to said rod, said first gear beingprovided with external threads, a second gear in said box, said secondgear havgreases ing threads meshing with the threads of said first gear,a handle attached to said second gear to rotate said second gear wherebysaid first gear is rotated on said rod to move said second gear relativeto said rod, said first gear being in engagement with said box wherebysaid box is also moved with said first gear, a support attached to saidgear box and movable therewith, a filling arm pivotally attached to saidsupport whereby said filling arm is rotatable in a generally verticalplane, means secured to said support to limit rotation of said fillingarm, a spout depending from the first end of said filling arm, thesecond end of said filling arm being adapted to be connected to a sourceof liquid, a spring normally biasing said filling arm in a firstposition whereby said spout is in an elevated position, a latch attachedto said filling arm to engage said support when said filling arm isrotated so that said spout is in a lowered position, said latchretaining said filling arm in said last-mentioned position against theforce of said spring, means for re leasing said latch from said support,a support arm, a drip pan mounted on one end of said support arm, thesecond end of said support arm being pivotally attached to said supportwhereby said support arm is free to rotate in a generally horizontalplane, and a cam member depending from said filling arm to engage saidsupport arm whereby said drip pan is moved beneath said spout when saidspout is in said elevated position and said drip pan is displaced frombeneath said spout when said spout is in said lowered position.

7. Apparatus for filling containers with a liquid comprising, incombination, a support, a filling arm pivotally attached to saidsupport, a valve having one port thereof connected to the first end ofsaid filling arm, a spout depending from the second port of said valve,a first conduit connected at one end to the second end of said fillingarm, the second end of said first conduit being adapted to be connectedto a source of liquid, a second valve in said first conduit, a secondconduit connected atone end to said filling arm and at its second end tosaid first conduit between said second valve and the second end of saidfirst conduit, and a third valve in said second conduit, means biasingsaid filling arm whereby said spout nor mally occupies a first upperposition relative to said support, said filling arm being rotatable fromsaid first position to a second position whereby said spout is lowered,locking means to retain said filling arm in said second position againstthe force of said biasing means, a drip pan pivotally attached to saidsupport, and means responsive to movement of said filling arm toposition said drip pan whereby said drip pan is beneath said spout whensaid filling arm is in said first position and said drip pan isdisplaced from beneath said spout when said filling arm is in saidsecond position.

No references cited.

